RI Foundation takes next ‘Make It Happen’ step, partners with EDC

PARTICIPANTS IN LAST SEPTEMBER'S 'Make It Happen Rhode Island' event generated a number of ideas that were put into action in the last year. Now The Rhode Island Foundation and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation are teaming up for a follow-up series of events to generate more private-sector-driven ideas for economic development.

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation is teaming up with state economic development officials to build a plan for growing the local economy from the ideas of business leaders.

The R.I. Economic Development Corporation announced the effort to build “an action-oriented blueprint,” for commerce as a follow up to The Rhode Island Foundation’s “Make It Happen” event one year ago.

The partnership will bring together representatives of eight industry sectors in workshops to discuss potential market opportunities, according to an announcement released Monday.

The ideas collected from the workshops will provide the basis for future projects and inform the RhodeMap RI statewide planning process currently being led by the state Division of Planning.

“From the moment Make It Happen RI kicked off, we’ve had great results by bringing people together to get things done,” said Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg. “We’ll be listening hard to what these business leaders have to say and using their input to move Rhode Island forward now.”

The Rhode Island Foundation is contributing $75,000 toward the partnership on top of the $1 million it has already put toward Make It Happen projects since 2012.

The workshops will begin this fall and the process will last through the end of the year.

“Rhode Island’s unique size creates opportunities within our borders to expand and intersect business growth,” said R.I. Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Marcel A. Valois. “There’s so much happening in the state, and this is an opportunity for us to bring together private business leaders in an initiative that will provide constructive input to the work being done by RhodeMap RI."

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